Final answer:
The mass of oxygen gas consumed during the combustion can be found by first determining the mass of carbon and hydrogen in the combustion products, then subtracting the mass of the initial compound from the combined mass of the products to find the mass of oxygen used.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mass of oxygen gas (O2) consumed during the combustion of a compound, we can follow the principles of conservation of mass and stoichiometry. The process involves burning a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen, which in combustion reactions, will yield carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
First, the mass of carbon in CO2 and the mass of hydrogen in H2O must be determined by taking into account the molar mass of carbon in CO2 and hydrogen in H2O. You can calculate the moles of carbon and hydrogen and then convert those to mass, which must equal the initial mass of the compound since no carbon or hydrogen is lost or gained in the reaction.
Next, subtract the initial mass of the compound from the total mass of CO2 and H2O. This difference is the mass of oxygen that was used up in the reaction since oxygen from the air contributed to the formation of these products. The calculation will provide the mass of oxygen consumed from the oxygen gas (O2).